Do atheists indocrinate their children into their belief system?

S.A.M. said:
As a brainwashed delusional theist, I wouldn't know; my abusive parents concealed all atheist practices from me.:bawl:
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Well I'm sure more liberal theist would not be as abusive as your parents. :D
 
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As do certain areligious practices, yes
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Ok.

1) As you brought it up, kindly name these areligious practices. Do note that I am asking you. I am not asking Geoff or Bob or the man up the road. You mentioned it, I'd gratefully request that you answer it.

2) At what level does it become a case of 'child abuse' iyo? Would you say it is only when one physically 'damages' that child, (circumcision etc)? What about sending children to faith schools, (segregating them from people with other beliefs etc)? What about when a parent decides what his child will, (or will not), believe in? I'm curious to see where you think the line lies.
 
A more general point is that although religious parents are most often not abusive to their children, whom they love, the nature of faith is a problem. Accepting premises as fact based on no evidence is not a virtue. Faith seems to be based only on the secondhand reports of authority figures. If you get used to that, it's no wonder why the faithful have been fooled by criminals like George W. Bush and Osama Bin Laden.
 
SnakeLord said:
Ok.

1) As you brought it up, kindly name these areligious practices. Do note that I am asking you. I am not asking Geoff or Bob or the man up the road. You mentioned it, I'd gratefully request that you answer it.

2) At what level does it become a case of 'child abuse' iyo? Would you say it is only when one physically 'damages' that child, (circumcision etc)? What about sending children to faith schools, (segregating them from people with other beliefs etc)? What about when a parent decides what his child will, (or will not), believe in? I'm curious to see where you think the line lies.
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Well as you know us atheist have holy books that command us in how and when to beat and rape our (or other peoples children).
 
S.A.M. said:
M*W:

Thanks.

What do you think of the difference between your elder two and younger two?

Is it personality?

Do you have any thoughts about what shapes belief? Or fluidity in belief?

Why do some people find it easier than others?
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M*W: S.A.M., thanks for your question. My two eldest children are somewhat of a transubtantiation. They are not catholic nor are they legitimate christians. They just are! I cannot really identify them.

They don't agree with my beliefs, in fact, they keep telling me I'm going to rot in hell! So be it!

My opinion on their beliefs tells me that they continue to be misguided. I take responsibility for their delusions.

My younger daughters are much more practical. I don't try to persuade them in any direction. They are much to stubborn for that.

I don't regret raising them up as catholics. That is merely a baseline. Today, they don't have specific beliefs. It's my grandchildren who I am concerned with. THey are hard headed and have their own beliefs. I won't discourage them nor perpetuate any belief in christianity. If they learned about Islam, I would feel the same way. I guess you could say that I am a fairly liberal grandparent. I would never hold their beliefs to be thoughtless. They have wonderful minds, and I suppose they got that from me. I would not question their beliefs, but I would answer any questions they had about their religious thoughts. Fortunately, we are all very close and they come to me for my advice (opinions). I am truly lucky in the grandmother department!
 
SnakeLord said:
Ok.

1) As you brought it up, kindly name these areligious practices. Do note that I am asking you. I am not asking Geoff or Bob or the man up the road. You mentioned it, I'd gratefully request that you answer it.

2) At what level does it become a case of 'child abuse' iyo? Would you say it is only when one physically 'damages' that child, (circumcision etc)? What about sending children to faith schools, (segregating them from people with other beliefs etc)? What about when a parent decides what his child will, (or will not), believe in? I'm curious to see where you think the line lies.
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All abuse not related to religion of course. Or do you think atheist parents are incapable of incest, physical abuse, torture, degradation, rape etc?
 
Abuse not related to religion doesn't count as abuse as a result of atheistic practices. If this isn't intellectually dishonest, it's at least intellectually sloppy.
 
spidergoat said:
Abuse not related to religion doesn't count as abuse as a result of atheistic practices. .
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I don't recall saying they were.

Isn't suicide higher in atheists? Be interesting to see teen suicides by religious affiliation.
 
spidergoat said:
Abuse not related to religion doesn't count as abuse as a result of atheistic practices. If this isn't intellectually dishonest, it's at least intellectually sloppy.
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Child abuse in this case is indoctrinating children into a religious belief system, SAM believes atheist indoctrinate their children into atheism by telling them their is no god, not teaching them religious practices of others, and forbidding them from taking on religion. Perhaps some atheist do, but not all of us. I got a question for both atheist and theist: is making your kids beleive in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, wrong?
 
Are you, SAM, suggesting there is no difference between a culture of abuse and abuse as a result of a personal abnormality?
 
spidergoat said:
Are you, SAM, suggesting there is no difference between a culture of abuse and abuse as a result of a personal abnormality?
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Suicide is not a personal abnormality. :eek:

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/12/2303

Is there an increase in the incidence of teen suicide with athiesm?
RESULTS: Religiously unaffiliated subjects had significantly more lifetime suicide attempts and more first-degree relatives who committed suicide than subjects who endorsed a religious affiliation. Unaffiliated subjects were younger, less often married, less often had children, and had less contact with family members. Furthermore, subjects with no religious affiliation perceived fewer reasons for living, particularly fewer moral objections to suicide. In terms of clinical characteristics, religiously unaffiliated subjects had more lifetime impulsivity, aggression, and past substance use disorder. No differences in the level of subjective and objective depression, hopelessness, or stressful life events were found. CONCLUSIONS: Religious affiliation is associated with less suicidal behavior in depressed inpatients. After other factors were controlled, it was found that greater moral objections to suicide and lower aggression level in religiously affiliated subjects may function as protective factors against suicide attempts.
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So atheism does make people more violent then?

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/161/12/2303
 
S.A.M. said:
I don't recall saying they were.

Isn't suicide higher in atheists? Be interesting to see teen suicides by religious affiliation.
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2. Any posts irrelevant to the topic or posts intended for baiting, flaming and trolling with the intent of attacking a member will be deleted and a warning given. ~~ SAM's rules.
 
spidergoat said:
Can we keep on topic for at least two posts in a row? I ignored your comment on suicide because it's a non-sequitur. We were talking about child abuse.
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I think indoctrinating your child into a belief system that scientific evidence shows leads to loss of will to live, decreased socialisation, poor interpersonal relations, poor impulse control, greater tendency to violence and attempted suicide, constitutes abuse.

(Q) said:
2. Any posts irrelevant to the topic or posts intended for baiting, flaming and trolling with the intent of attacking a member will be deleted and a warning given. ~~ SAM's rules.
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This forum already has its own moderator and its not you. Or me.
 
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Religious strain was associated with greater depression and suicidality, regardless of religiosity levels or the degree of comfort found in religion. Depression was associated with feelings of alienation from God and, among students, with interpersonal conflicts on religious domains. Suicidality was associated with religious fear and guilt, particularly with belief in having committed an unforgivable sin. Religious strain, along with religiosity, was associated with greater interest in addressing religious issues in psychotherapy. These results highlight the role of religious strain as a potentially important indicator of psychological distress.
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http://www.biopsychiatry.com/religion.htm :shrug:

the same can be said for religion too I guess.
 
S.A.M. said:
I think indoctrinating your child into a belief system that scientific evidence shows leads to loss of will to live, decreased socialisation, poor interpersonal relations, poor impulse control, greater tendency to violence and attempted suicide, constitutes abuse.
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I think any form of "indoctrination" is a form of child abuse, be it "indoctrination" in religion or atheism.

As an atheist myself, I plan to educate my children about religion and God. Not from an atheist perspective, but from a perspective that will allow them to choose for themselves. If my children believe there is something more out there (ie God), I would not love and adore them any less, nor would I attempt to discourage them or try to ridicule or force them into not believing.

You cannot teach a child to believe in God, just as you cannot teach a child to believe there is no God. A child has to come to that decision on their own. Parents, be they atheist or theist, should not attempt to interfere with the child's decision process, nor should they try to force the child to believe either way.

(Q) said:
2. Any posts irrelevant to the topic or posts intended for baiting, flaming and trolling with the intent of attacking a member will be deleted and a warning given. ~~ SAM's rules.
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If you think she has breached this particular forum's rules, you are quite able to click on the report button. Sam's rules in her forums do not apply to the religion forum Q.

If you don't think the moderators of this forum are doing a good enough job, I'd suggest you take it up with Plazma instead of trying to flame this thread.
 
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